Development and application of an analytical method using gas chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry for
1Environmental Engineering Program, Department of Civil Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA.
Rationale:
Recent advances in analytical techniques have led to the development of gas chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry methods that allow the identification of target analytes in complex environmental samples. We have employed this technology to develop a method for characterizing alkylated chrysenes, which are environmental toxins that are resistant to weathering.
Methods:
An Agilent 7890 gas chromatograph coupled to an Agilent 7000B triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was used. The mass spectral fragmentation of seven commercially available alkylated chrysene standards was studied under full-scan and product-ion scan conditions. The calibration curves used were in the linear range with r(2) values greater than 0.99. The recovery and limit of detection of target analytes in the samples were in the range of 80-120% and 0.11-1.09 ng/mL, respectively.
Results:
The information inferred from full-scan and product-ion scan data was combined with literature data to develop a GC/MS/MS method for the identification and quantification of C1 -, C2 -, C3 -, and C4 -chrysene homologues. The method was employed to characterize MC252 crude oil which was released during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident. The results showed that the chrysene concentrations estimated by the proposed method were well within the range of previously reported values.
Conclusions:
The proposed method is useful for analyzing chrysene and its alkylated homologues in crude oil samples.
More Related Videos
08:37Measurement of H2S in Crude Oil and Crude Oil Headspace Using Multidimensional Gas Chromatography, Deans Switching and Sulfur-selective Detection
Published on: December 10, 2015
14:22Free Radicals in Chemical Biology: from Chemical Behavior to Biomarker Development
Published on: April 15, 2013
Related Concept Videos
Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS)
A gas chromatograph consists of a long, narrow capillary column with a polysiloxane coating on the inner wall....
Gas Chromatography: Introduction
In GC, a sample is vaporized and mixed with an inert carrier gas (the mobile phase), which transports it through a...
Mass Spectrometry: Cycloalkane Fragmentation
For example, cyclohexane molecular ions have a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of 84, which tends to produce a stronger signal than linear alkanes like hexane. This stability comes from...
Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
Mass Spectrometry: Branched Alkane Fragmentation
Mass Spectrometry: Long-Chain Alkane Fragmentation
